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Mayor Rob Ford arrived at the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s glitzy annual dinner amid confusion over whether he was actually invited, only to hear a drubbing from the high-powered board’s president about “distractions” and “the question of leadership.”

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly’s message and photo took the place in the program usually reserved for Toronto’s chief magistrate. Trade board spokesperson Scott Brownrigg said the deputy was invited to the event, rather than Ford.

“We found that (inviting Ford) would be disingenuous, considering our earlier statements,” said Brownrigg. The trade board became one of the first, and most powerful, organizations to speak out about the scandal engulfing Ford. It called for him to step aside on Nov. 1, the day after Toronto police Chief Bill Blair confirmed that investigators obtained a video, previously reported in the Star, that appeared to show Ford smoking crack cocaine.

When Ford arrived at the Monday dinner, organizers found him a seat near the back of the room. But the mayor left not long after board President Carol Wilding’s remarks.

At about 9 p.m. on Monday night, a tweet from Ford’s account included a photo of a letter addressed to him from the Toronto Region Board of Trade, dated Nov. 11, inviting him to the dinner. The tweet read: “Thanks to Carol Wilding, President of the @TorontoRBOT for taking the time to personally invite me to tonight’s event.”

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Brownrigg later said it seemed the invitation, though dated after the Nov. 1 statement calling on Ford to step aside, was unintentional. The mayor’s office never sent an RSVP. And the board confirmed to the mayor’s office that Ford was not invited, said Brownrigg.

At the dinner, Wilding said the business community’s challenge is to bring about economic leadership to propel the region toward international success.

“But regrettably, we were, and remain, preoccupied with the question of leadership within the region,” said Wilding in her remarks before about 1,500 of the business community’s most influential people.

“And talk on the street is all about perception. The perception is that, on aggregate, our region’s advancement took a step backward in 2013. That perception is supported by too many distractions, all of which you are familiar with.”

“Now, we must reshape that perception. We must redirect negative international attention.”

Wilding’s dressing down of political leadership in the region drew applause at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

On Twitter moments later, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and University Brad Duguid characterized the president’s remarks as “bold, gutsy.”

Jacqueline Taggart said a heated debate broke out at her table over whether Wilding’s comments were appropriate.

“We were divided about 60-40,” said Taggart. The majority believe the remarks were fair, while Taggart disagreed.

“Does he need to get his own personal life in order? Yes, absolutely,” said Taggart. “But trashing him at an event he’s attending? I personally don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Deborah Gee said Wilding, who did not name the mayor but spoke in broad strokes about political leadership, was eloquent and addressed the issues without pointing too many fingers.

“She was trying to say that it’s time to rebuild Toronto and that we need better leadership,” said Gee.

Wilding has been outspoken about the crisis at city hall that saw council strip Ford of most of his mayoral powers after the mayor admitted in November to smoking crack. In mid-November, those powers were handed to deputy Kelly for safekeeping until elections this fall.

“Indeed, 2013 saw little progress on any of these issues. Instead we were consumed by the drama. And while this drama made for interesting reading and interesting chatter, it did little to make our region more prosperous and competitive.”

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